


Call It Magic

by PendragonPenchant



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Meetings, Flirting, M/M, Puns & Word Play, magician!Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-27
Updated: 2014-08-27
Packaged: 2018-02-15 00:36:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2209020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PendragonPenchant/pseuds/PendragonPenchant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur, twenty-seven years old, is in a children's party-- and he is not happy. As far is he is concerned, he'd rather not have anything to do with a children's party. Unfortunately, his older sister, Morgana insisted that he attend his nephew Mordred's 7th birthday party. However, that doesn't change the fact that, for him, children's parties are tacky, <i>especially</i> when there's a hired magician-- who <i>just so happens</i> to be named "Merlin". Yes, as in the legendary wizard.</p><p>Title inspired by Coldplay's <i>Magic</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Call It Magic

**Author's Note:**

> My second Merlin fic! I wasn't kidding when I said I had a lot of plot bunnies! Not sure if this has been done before, so any similarities with any other story would be purely coincidental. This actually end up being longer than I intended.
> 
> A few disclaimers: (1) I have no idea how the British celebrate children's parties, so please bear with my way; (2) This work is unbeta-ed, and; (3) As usual, Merlin and its characters belongs to Shine and BBC.

It was a Saturday morning, graced with the presence of the sun. Its rays, filtered by its company of clouds, shone on the children below, lightly kissing their faces painted with glee. The wind also played along, flipping the scattered flaglets that were standing in the garden. Balloons of different colours also danced with the light breeze, much to the delight of the young crowd.

From two majestic trees hung a banner, reading ‘ _Happy Birthday Mordred!_ _’._ Right under the tarpaulin, in the middle, was a throne fit for a king, albeit a small one. Seated on the throne was the celebrant himself, clad completely in a medieval knight's attire, a striking red cape, and a crown that looked almost like real gold -- all sized to fit him perfectly. Beside him, with a fair hand on his shoulder, stood Morgana, his mother. The woman would be easily identified as such, what with her alabaster skin and brunette locks that reflected in her own son. Morgana exuded elegance and youth in an emerald gown that matched her eyes. Her garb was designed to look like it belonged in the medieval era as well, matching with theme of Mordred's costume and the rest of the celebration.

“Alright, children, have you found the golden key?” Said enthusiastically by the host through the microphone.

The party’s host, who also happens to be Mordred's godmother, Gwen, was dressed in a humbler attire. Her chocolate skin stood out in her white blouson top, hugged by a corset that was conservative enough for the crowd. Her bottoms consisted of leggings, with hems that hid underneath a pair of faux leather boots.

A few minutes after, a girl with soft features raised her hand in triumph, and ran to the front with the item in her tiny hand.

“Good job, Kara!” Gwen exclaimed, spotting the winner’s name on her nametag. “For that, you get to take home this mini treasure chest! Would you like to know what’s inside?”

The kid named Kara nodded enthusiastically. She took the box in her hands, and with the key, opened it. Inside were assortments of candies and chocolates and a ballpen encased in wood, with a carving of a dragon at the top. The youngster plucked it from the case and held it gently in her hands, her eyes gleaming with awe.

To everyone’s surprise, Kara went up to Mordred and planted an innocent kiss on the birthday boy’s cheek.

“Awwwww!” Gwen cooed together with the rest.

Mordred’s cheeks heated up. Morgana pinched one of his red cheeks as she laughed at the display. Kara, equally blushing, then skittered to her seat, hands securely holding onto her prize.

===

Arthur Pendragon would have found the incident a lot more entertaining if he was not bored to his wits. Unfortunately, he was. There he was, sitting on a plastic chair in a back garden filled with kids who were now running and shrieking in a game of Musical Chairs. He couldn't help but think how his executive chair was a lot more comfortable than this, even though it meant he had towering stacks of paperwork to attend to in front of him.  
  
He was twenty-seven years old for Christ's sake, nearly four times the age of majority of the crowd in the room. He wanted to strangle his older sister, Morgana, for putting him up to this. If he had it his way, he would have simply dropped by the house and handed Mordred his gift. But no, the witch of a sister he has had to plant a seed of guilt on him.

 _“You’re the closest thing Mordred has to a father, Arthur. It would mean a lot to him if you were there,”_   he remembered Morgana saying.

So now he was left with watching four remaining children—including the celebrant himself-- beat each other’s arse (quite literally) in a game of Musical Chairs.

===

“You alright?”

Arthur looked up from his phone—which he has been browsing through the Web with for a good round of minutes—to his sister, who just emerged from inside the house and (finally) took a seat beside him in what was dubbed as the “honorary table”. The table that was supposedly reserved for those dearest to the birthday boy, which happened to be just Arthur, and now Morgana. He scoffed at the woman’s question.

“Come on, don’t be a killjoy! And to think that you’re younger than me,” Morgana pointed out.

“Now you’re acknowledging it,” Arthur replied, referring to the age difference.

“Three years wouldn’t hurt, and it’s not obvious anyway,” The woman answered, fixing her curled tresses. “I’m a lot more fun than you are.”

Arthur sighed. He leaned back carefully on the chair, his light button-down stretching across his chest. _Would’ve been fun if I actually fit in_. He would’ve said it out loud if he wasn’t too lazy to open his mouth.

“So what do you think of the décor?” Morgana asked, tearing the blond man away from his thoughts.

“It’s nice,” Arthur answered, his mind leafing through memories of his own birthday celebrations when he was a kid. He vaguely remembers having an astronaut-themed party, but he couldn’t recall how old (or rather, young) he was then. “Of course you went all out.”

Morgana’s tinted lips curled into a smile. “Of course, anything to make Mordred happy,” she said, turning to look at the kid. A look of fondness graced her features.

The man followed his sister’s gaze to the child-- now eagerly spinning a kid for a game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey-- and back to his sister. Unexpectedly, he felt his heart clench at the sight. He couldn’t help but wonder when he’ll find himself in that place, looking fondly at his own son or daughter.

As much as he would hate to admit it, he has been too buried in his work. He finds himself without time to entertain the idea of falling in love. Yes, he has tried dating a few times—much to the insistence of his sister—but nothing quite worked out; not even Gwen, who was actually the subject of Morgana’s latest (and hopefully last) attempt. For Arthur, it could only mean either of the two: one, he just hasn’t found the right person, or; two, he was just destined to remain a single man for the rest of his life. It was such a far cry from the way he was in Uni, when he was such a ladies’ man. He didn’t know if he should laugh or mourn over that.

“Yay!” Gwen exclaimed while clapping softly, as a young boy with orange-red hair successfully stuck the donkey’s tail on the right spot. He then received a bag of goodies from Mordred as a prize.

“Alright kids, I’ll need you all to gather in the centre. We’ve got a show for you!”

Obediently, the children poured into the middle of the yard and sat on the lush grass.

“That’s good!” Gwen remarked with a beam. “Now, may I present to you, Merlin the magician!” She introduced with a flurry of her hands.

To the sound of applause from the young audience, a lad in a tunic and trousers, topped with a coat, then emerged from the side of the house. Behind him was a trolley bag, being pulled by one of his willowy hands. Upon reaching centerstage, he took the microphone from the host, but not without murmuring a ‘thank you’.  
  
"Hullo, everyone! How've you all been doing?" His voice rang.

His curiosity piqued, Arthur directed his attention to the speaking man. For the second time that day, his heart reacted unusually. This time, he felt as if it jumped out of his chest.

What met his eyes were definitely not what he expected. The man had flawless ivory skin that contrasted perfectly with his jet-black locks that curled slightly just at the sides, framing the most endearing ears Arthur has ever seen. But that was not what caught Arthur the most; it was those sharp cheekbones and those piercing eyes that resembled the color of the sky.

As if fate was not satisfied toying with Arthur’s emotions, the boy _had to_ smile—adorably wrinkling the sides of his gorgeous eyes and lifting those heart-shaped lips of his.

“I can’t hear you!” Merlin prompted, turning his head and leaning to the crowd with one hand cupping his ear.

“Great!” The kids shouted in response.

“Perfect! Now, who’s ready to see some magic?” Merlin asked, the smile never leaving his face. It even widened as all the kids before him raised their hands.

The mention of the word ‘magic’ broke Arthur out of his lovestruck trance. _Of course the party would have a magician_ , he mocked in his mind. It was only then that he notice Gwen plopping on the seat next to Morgana, taking a break from her hosting stint.

“Oh brother, please, these are children,” Morgana said, catching the judging look on her sibling’s face.

“Yeah, children stupid enough to believe in magic,” the blond said, rolling his eyes.

“That’s mean, Arthur,” Gwen commented.

It was Morgana’s turn to roll her eyes. “Kids love magic, Arthur. You act as if you didn’t when you were younger.”

Arthur couldn’t come up with a retort to that. Gwen giggled, but stopped herself when she saw the man’s glare. What Arthur did next was just cross his arms and turn to watch the magic show. _Might as well find entertainment in this_ , he thought.  
  
"Now, to start off, let's call on the birthday celebrant, Mordred!"

Mordred stood up from the crowd. The people cheered, including Gwen and of course, his mother. He then found his place beside Merlin, who bended slightly to level himself closer to the kid’s height.

“How are you, Mordred?” The magician asked, starting things off with a little Q&A.

“I’m fine,” the child replied, true to his nature of being one of few words.

“That’s good to hear! Now, I’m gonna need you to help me with my first magic trick,” Merlin told the kid as turned to his trolley and searched for something. He then pulled out a navy blue wizard’s hat. “There’s nothing in it, everyone, look,” the magician said, turning the hat in and out. “Okay, Mordred, I need you to hold on to this.” Mordred clutched at both sides of the hat’s brim with his two hands, the pointed side underneath.

The older boy then went back to his trolley and took out a wooden wand, brandishing it to everyone’s sight. “Alright, here we go,” Merlin started, one hand stretching the tip of the hat, and the other holding the stick above the opening of the hat “I want you guys to count to three.”

“One, two, _three!_ ”

With the wave of the wand at the last number, a kaleidoscope of butterflies rushed out of the hat and fluttered just a few inches above the children struck with awe, but safe from their grabbing hands.

“Oh please, the butterflies were already in there,” Arthur countered, voicing his thoughts. Morgana just rolled her eyes while Gwen just shook her head.

Once the butterflies have flown away in different directions, Merlin thanked Mordred and motioned him to go back to his seat. The magician then fished into the inside pockets of his camel-colored coat and furnished a set of playing cards. “Alright, I’m going to need a volunteer!” He called on the first kid who raised his hand, Gilli.

“Alright Gilli, you’re going to choose one card,” Merlin explained as he fanned the cards and showed them to the audience, proving that no two cards are alike. He then compressed the cards back to a pile. “But first you have to shuffle them.”

The little boy took the cards, shuffled them, and returned them to the magician.

“Okay, pick one,” the older man ordered lightly as he fanned the cards again, facedown. “But _don’t_ show me, okay? Remember the card. You can show it to them, but not me.”

Young Gilli tugged one card and showed it to everyone else but the man holding the rest of the set. It was a King of Diamonds.

“Alright Gilli, put it back,” Merlin guided. He then asked Gilli to shuffle them again. But this time, it was the child’s turn to spread the cards into a fan. “Now, I’m gonna get the one you chose,” he announced as he pulled a card somewhere on the right of the pile. He then flipped it to face Gilli and then the rest of the crowd. “Am I right?”

“Yes!” The kids cheered.

“King of Diamonds, yeah?” Merlin said before turning to look at the card. His grin broadened upon seeing the face of the card. He then returned the card into the pile and stuffed it back into his coat. “Thank you, Gilli,” he said as he patted the kid on the shoulder.

“Pssh, totally a coincidence,” Arthur jeered, letting only the girls on their table hear. Morgana glared at him pointedly. On the other hand, Gwen just flashed him a small disbelieving smile.

Merlin then showed another trick, this time without a volunteer. Before starting, he opened his hands to show that they were empty. He then closed one fist, brought it close to his lips, and blew air into it. (Meanwhile, Arthur tried not to let his mind go into the gutter.) He then held it in between himself and the crowd and flicked the fingers of his other hand. With his open hand, he waved it gently over his fist, covering it from the eyes of the audience. Upon revealing, a pink rose was in his hand. He made exaggerated acts of looking for a lady to give it to. A lot of young girls from the crowd raised their hands eagerly, but he walked towards Morgana, who accepted it with a smile and a hand over her heart. The kids aww-ed at the sight as well.

Arthur was ready to diss to the ladies with him again as soon as Merlin left; but when the magician looked at him, he felt his thoughts fly away.

The magic man proceeded to show more tricks to the children—from summoning a white, fluffy bunny from an empty box to making a torn piece of paper whole again. At that point, Arthur has resumed muttering his criticisms (which Gwen and Morgana have decided to ignore).

Midway through the magician’s trick of making a handkerchief come out of his empty hand, Arthur’s cellphone rang. Thankful for the distraction, the businessman excused himself from his company and went inside the quiet house.

“Arthur Pendragon speaking.”

“Arthur! I hope I’m not disturbing you,” the voice on the other line spoke.

“No, not at all,” the blond replied. “What’s the matter, Leon?”

“Right. I’m flying to Singapore on Monday, as you know. My copy of our proposals for the head office has been corrupted,” the other man said, worry etched in his voice. “Do you happen to have a hard copy?”

“I see, are you in the office now?”

“Yes, I’m here with George. Said he didn’t know where it was.”

“Yeah, he wouldn’t. It’s in the file cabinet, the one to the right of my desk.”

“Okay, I’m here,” the man on the line said.

“Second drawer, the code is 1-7-3-6.”

He heard four beeps and another one with a higher pitch.

“Found it!” Leon’s voice cheered. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem. Have a safe trip.”

“Thank you,” the man replied, and added teasingly, “Enjoy the party.”

“Ha ha, very funny."

Leon laughed. “Just messing with you. Anyway, tell Mordred I said ‘happy birthday’! Bye.”

“Will do. Bye,” Arthur promised before ending the call.

With a sigh, he kept the phone in his pocket and navigated through the house to make his way back to the yard. At the end of the hallway, he collided with something.

“Oof!”

Okay, maybe not ‘something’, but rather, a _someone_ (since it— he— talked).  
  
"You're the magician," Arthur declared, looking at the person in front of him  
  
"And you're the sceptic." The man in front of him said, rubbing at his own hit arm. “Don't think I didn't see you mumbling to yourself."  
  
Arthur felt the tips of his ears heat up and lost his footing in the situation for a moment. Upon recovery, he then scoffed. " _Please_ , magic's not real. Don’t be ridiculous. I mean, you're name isn't really _Merlin_ , is it?"  
  
It was then Merlin who blushed, pink painting his chiselled cheeks. "...It actually is."  
  
Arthur’s eyes widened. "You can't be serious! Who names their kid after a wizard?" His chest then burst into laughter, to which the other man responded with a glare.  
  
"Well, my mother, obviously.” He answered rather grumpily. “Perhaps she knew I had a gift of magic." He added jokingly.  
  
"More like, quick hands, you mean."  
  
"You don't believe I have magic?" Merlin asked daringly, cocking his head to one side and taking one step closer to the other man.  
  
"I don't," Arthur answered, squaring his broad chest and stepping up to the magician.  
  
"Oh no, we can't have that," Merlin said tauntingly, his voice gone one tone deeper. With their proximity, it was now obvious how he was slightly taller—and therefore a bit looking down at the blond. "What do I do with you?"  
  
"Make me,” Arthur dared.  
  
They held each other’s stares, the tension palpable. Arthur felt like he could lose himself in the other man’s eyes. Merlin shared the same thought; he found Arthur’s eyes like the ocean, where he could drown just by looking into them.

Mouth dry at the intensity, the raven-haired man could not resist licking his lips.

That was the beat it took for Arthur to grab Merlin and crash their lips together.

Their mouths met in a rather messy kiss, their teeth clacking. Arthur grunted at the impact, but moved to slot his lips better on Merlin’s.

Merlin’s lips tasted like spearmint lip balm, and Arthur could not resist sucking on the bottom to savour the most out of them. His one hand landed on the nape of the taller man’s neck, while another caressed at the firm bone of his cheek.

The magician responded with equal passion, his fingers digging on Arthur’s muscular arms. He then led his tongue on the entrance of Arthur’s mouth, dabbing, asking for permission. Arthur willingly obliged, parting his lips and welcoming Merlin’s tongue. Their tongues played with each other, Merlin’s exploring eagerly. He could test a hint of coffee in Arthur’s mouth.

Arthur’s mind was reeling with incomprehensible thoughts. He knows he has never done this, kiss a man before, but somehow, it just feels _right_. The tips of hair tickling his hand at the back of Merlin’s neck, the strong hands gripping his biceps, the slight burn of scruff that he could feel around his mouth—it was all perfect, and— _oh_ —

The blond man moaned against Merlin’s mouth as their hard crotches rubbed against each other.

Out of breath, the two broke apart, but remained within each other’s personal space.  
  
"Told you I have magic," Merlin said with a smirk.  
  
"Oh yeah?” Arthur asked, sounding breathless. “And if I still don't quite believe you?"  
  
"Well, I guess I have a few more tricks that I can show you," Merlin said suggestively.  
  
"Really now?" Arthur cocked his eyebrow. He then placed his hands on Merlin's hips. "Have dinner with me tonight."  
  
"Not until I know your name, Mr. Sceptic."

Arthur let out a chuckle. He can’t believe he hasn’t introduced himself. He stepped away from the magician and extended his hand. “My name’s Arthur Pendragon.”

Merlin took his hand into a shake. “Merlin Emrys.”

The blond then tugged on the hand he was holding and returned to their previous position, his hands on Merlin’s hips. “So, Mr. Emrys, will you go on a date with me tonight?”

Merlin pretended to think about it. “And then magic after?” He asked as he wiggled his eyebrows.  
  
Arthur laughed. "Yes, yes.” And then he added, “I still think it's just you being good with your hands, though."  
  
"Oh, I'll have you know, magic or not, my hands are amazingly good," Merlin assured, said hands skimming over the other man’s chest.  
  
"Can't wait, then." Arthur said, nuzzling Merlin’s tempting neck. His lips twisted into a smirk when he noticed Merlin still with a gasp. He then laid a chaste kiss on the pale expense of the man’s neck and let go. "Gimme your phone."

Merlin complied, though a bit disappointed at the separation, and took his phone out of his pocket. They then switched phones and inputted each other’s numbers.  
  
"Text me your address; I'll pick you up at 7," Arthur said as he returned the other man’s phone and got his back.  
  
"Sounds lovely," the magician said with a smile on his lips.

Outside, kids screamed. Gwen’s voice then boomed on the microphone, saying something that sounded like ‘congratulations!’.  
  
"I better get back,” Arthur said with his head jerking towards the party, his hands tucked in his pockets. “Morgana will have my head if I'm missing outside for one more minute."  
  
"She does look like one heck of a woman,” Merlin supplied, one hand on the handle of his trolley.  
  
"I'll see you tonight,” Arthur reminded, smiling sheepishly. But in a snap, his lips quirked into a smirk. “You better be ready with your magic."  
  
"You can count on it." Merlin winked.  
  
Merlin stepped forward with his right, Arthur with his left. Both switched their footing at the same time. They then looked at each other and laughed.

“You first,” Arthur said, motioning to the space to his left.

“Why thank you; how chivalrous of you, King Arthur,” Merlin taunted with a mischievous grin and began moving.

They then parted ways— Merlin through the living room and out of the house, and Arthur through the kitchen and back to the party. But before both were out of each other’s sight, they both turned to get one last look. When their eyes met, the two shared a laugh again. Merlin pretended to curtsy, which earned him a howl of laughter from Arthur.

As soon as Arthur stepped back out into the back yard, his phone vibrated with a message. He looked at it and smiled as he saw Merlin’s home address, sent with a wink. When he made his way back to the table, Morgana looked at him suspiciously. Not caring about his sister, he replied to Merlin’s text:

_See you later ;)  
PS: Suit up!_

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I'll be honest (forgot to put this out before-- thanks Sire-wehn for reminding me w/ your comment!): I have no idea about where I was planning to go with this story. Idk if I meant Merlin to have real magic (or he's really just a flirt) and/or if it is meant to be a reincarnation fic.
> 
> In any case, I'm quite open to the possibility of writing more to this fic. But since I don't know my own plot, I'm leaving it up to you guys. How did you understand the fic? Do you think Merlin actually has magic, and he's actually _the_ legendary warlock? Was Arthur reincarnated?
> 
> Thanks for reading! Your kudos/comment/bookmark would mean the world to me ♥
> 
> PS: Find me on Tumblr, I'm dapperdeduction!


End file.
